


Lavender Tea

by Pidge_in_space



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Also rose and Greg don’t have a ship name, Angst, Angst and Fluff, College AU, F/F, Fluff, Human AU, Jasper the Cat, Ugh, amedot - Freeform, amethyst and peridot - Freeform, coffee shop AU, its actually a teahouse cause I like tea more than coffee, oof, the first time I lost ot, this is the second time I’ve had to upload this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-07-05 05:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 18,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15857058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pidge_in_space/pseuds/Pidge_in_space
Summary: Peridot, a student at Delmarva State University, isn’t in the best place of her life. She’s in the middle of trying to balance her studies and her work at The Crystal Gem Teahouse, and is about to loose it all.And then the purple-haired dancer came into her life and changed her life forever.Amethyst has her own troubles. She’s better at hiding them.The broken put each other back together.





	1. Piping Hot

It was the afternoon, so the shop wasn’t too busy. Lapis, my coworker and roommate, was busy sweeping the floor, which left me at the counter, waiting for a customer. 

After five minutes, I gave up and closed my eyes.

The warm summer light washed over me, making me feel more relaxed in my short sleeved uniform. Since the ship was usually frigid, I assumed Lapis had opened a window, letting some light in. I made a mental note to thank her later.

After a few minutes of bland thoughts and almost falling asleep, the bell on the door rang, shaking me out of my daze.

“What... uh... Welcome to the Crystal Gem Teahouse!” I recited by memory.

“Hi Lapis! Hi Peridot!” A cheerful, young voice said.

I looked over to the people who had entered the shop. My suspicions were correct, it was Steven Universe, son of the shop’s founder, Rose, and his friend Connie. 

“Hey Steven and Connie.” I said. “Can I get you anything?”

“Nah.” Steven answered. “We just wanted to hang out.”

Connie nodded. “We also have some homework to do. Is it ok if we do it here?”

I nodded. There wasn’t any rule against doing homework, in fact, that’s what many people came here to do. 

Steven and Connie walked over to one of the far tables and started to spread out math worksheets. 

The day slowly continued, with Lapis moving on from sweeping to cleaning the tables. I decided to check the inventory on the bags of black tea. 

That’s when she came in. 

The bell startled me again, this time I whipped around to the counter, ready to serve the customer. When I caught sight of her, my heart stopped for a second. 

She was about as tall as I was, but a bit rounder. Her wavy hair, which was lavender, fell to her knees (I also noted- she was wearing a black beanie). She was wearing a black tank top, with one of the straps off-shoulder. Around her waist was tied a purple plaid flannel shirt. Her jeans were ripped and her shoelaces untied. She was one of those people. The ones I didn’t know how to talk to.

The girl walked over to the counter, where I stood frozen in fear. “Uh. Welcome to the Crystal Gem Teahouse. Can I get you anything?”

The girl continued looking at her phone, then glanced up at me. “Oh, I’d like ......uhhhh.......” She looked up at the menu board over my head. 

“I’ll have the pomegranate iced tea.... and could you put some lemon and vanilla in that?” The said.

I slowly nodded, somehow not shocked of her insane order. “I’ll go... uhh... the tea.... do you wanna.... name?”

The girl laughed. “I’m Amethyst.” Then she went to the back of the shop and resumed doing whatever she was doing on her phone. 

I stood there, stunned, for a few seconds, before Lapis coughed and glared at me, bringing me back to reality and my job. I shuffled around the counter, preparing ‘Amethyst’s’ tea just how ‘Amethyst’ wanted it. 

Once her order was completed, I placed the cup on the counter. “Hey- Amethyst! You’re tea has been prepared!” I said, probably too loud, because everyone in the shop turned to me, including Amethyst, who got out of her chair and came over to the counter. 

I shoved the cup towards her. Luckily, she caught it. 

“That’ll be seven-fifty-nine.” I said, my voice high pitched and rushed. 

Amethyst laughed again and started to dig in her pocket. She dug up the money and placed it on the counter. After taking her tea, she left the shop.

After the door closed behind Amethyst, I looked down at the change she had left. Then I noticed it- a small slip of paper hidden among the dollar bills and coins. I picked it up and opened it.

Inside the paper was written, in a messy scrawl, was a phone number. Amethyst gave me her phone number. I could feel myself blush. This was new.


	2. Call Me

-Peridot-

That night, I stumbled into my dorm room, my arms full of books. The weight of the reference materials and my emotions was crushing me, so the obvious choice was to toss the books across the room. I did so.

As soon as Lapis, who had been listening to music on her phone, heard the crash, she took out her headphones. “Why’d you throw all the books onto the ground?”

I stood there for a few seconds, still very stressed. 

Lapis stood up and picked up her cat Jasper, who immediately started hissing. “Is this about that girl in the cafe?”

I looked down at my feet, trying to hide my blush. 

Lapis smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. “Hey. You should call her! She gave her your number, right?”

I reached my hand into my pocket. The slip of paper from before was in it. I immediately retracted my hand and shoved Lapis away from me.

“I’m gonna go shower!” I said in a rushed tone while walking away from Lapis.

“Ok.” Lapis said. “Don’t stay in there too long.”

As the warm water hit my body, I started to think of her again. 

I held myself.

My train of thoughts was interrupted when I heard knocking on the door.

I yelped and turned of the water. “LAZULI” I shouted. “IM STILL SHOWERING YOU KNOW!!!”

“Yeah, but you’ve been in there for like, half an hour. I need to was my hair you know!”

I quickly through on a t-shirt and sweatpants, then opened the door. “FINE I’M OUT. THE SHOWER IS YOURS NOW!”

Lapis smiled and walked into the bathroom, pushing me out. After a moment of collecting myself, I decided to work on an essay that was due soon in class. Nonetheless, I easily got distracted writing fanfiction for Camp Pining Hearts again.

Around twenty minutes later, Lapis came in, her hair wrapped in a towel. “Whatcha doing?” She said, looking at my laptop screen.

I immediately closed the laptop. “Nothing. What is it?”

“You should call her.” Lapis said.

I blushed and looked down at my laptop.

Lapis turned her back to me and picked up her phone. “Well, if you aren’t calling her, I am!”

“Wait... what? You don’t have her number.”

Lapis held up the slip of paper. “You left this in your pocket.”

I jumped up from the couch and tried to grab the slip of paper from Lapis, but she held it above her head, where I couldn’t reach it. She continued typing in the number, despite my repeatedly calling her a clod.

Lapis gave me the slip of paper, and I had two seconds of relief before she hit call.

The ringing sound filled the dorm room as we both fell completely silent.

Lapis handed me the phone.

I held it up to my ear, waiting for whoever was on the other end. What if it wasn’t Amethyst? What if she gave me a wrong number?

Finally, the ringing stopped and someone on the other end picked up.

“Nyello?” They said. It wasn’t Amethyst.

“Uhhh....” I stuttered. “I’m looking for an Amethyst?”

The person on the other line laughed and said. “Oh, so YOU’RE the one she’s been talking about! I’ll get her!” The person then turned away from the phone and shouted Amethyst. After a few moments of silence, another voice came on. “Yo.”

I stood there for a second. “Hello. You’re Amethyst?”

Amethyst laughed. “Yeah. Sorry Cora had to pick up the phone. Sisters, ya know?”

“Actually, I don’t have any siblings.”

Amethyst laughed again. “Oof. You’re both lucky and missing out. Anyways... I never did catch your name.”

I stuttered. “Oh.. I’m... uh... you can... I’m Peridot.”

“Cool.” Amethyst said. “Is it cool if I save your contact info?”

“Uhhh...” I said, for the millionth time in the conversation. “I’m actually using my roommate’s phone.”

“Did yours die or something?”

“Something like that.”

“So... can I have your actual number?”

I gave her my number and waited while she wrote it down.

“Cool.” Amethyst said. “So.... you work at the teashop?”

“Yeah.” I responded. “Are you a University student?”

“Yeah. Art major. You?”

“Yeah. Uh. Not art. Computer sciences.”

“That’s really cool! I mean, I can’t do shit with computers.”

I awkwardly laughed. “Yeah....”

“So.... will you be at the cafe tomorrow?”

“No, I only work on weekdays. I’ll be free the weekend.”

“Cool. So... you wanna meet up then?”

“Y-yeah. Where do you want to go?”

“How ‘bout the cafe? It’ll be open, and you can get me a discount or whatever! Around 10:30, Saturday?”

“Yeah. That sounds.... adequate.......” I struggled for the right word.

Amethyst laughed again. “Then it’s a date!”

She hung up before I could respond.

I handed the phone back to Lapis and fell onto my bed. 

It’s a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had Fun writing this.  
> Yes, I made Lapis’s cat Jasper. You can’t stop me.  
> Pearl will make an appearance in the next chapter!


	3. First Touch

Peridot

I woke up on Saturday to the sound of my phone barking out an alarm. I had the same annoying song that I wrote back in eighth grade as my alarm. It woke me up to it’s unmistakable four measures of blaring loud future bass.

“Peri..... turn off your alarm.....” Lapis groaned from the other room. Following my roommate’s orders, I pulled my phone to me and disabled the alarm. After sitting in my bed for a few more seconds, I pulled myself up.

_I’ve got to impress Amethyst._ I thought, digging through my clothes. Eventually, I pulled out a shirt I had bought at a museum gift shop. It was plain black with a simplistic alien design printed on it in bright green. Though I loved the shirt (aliens are kinda my thing) I had never gotten the chance to wear it. _Today’s the day._ I thought. _Today I’m wearing this shirt. For Amethyst._

After digging through my drawers more, I pulled out a pair of khaki shorts, alien themed thigh-high socks, and bright green suspenders. Pleased with my outfit choice, I went and got changed. 

After spending twenty minutes trying to figure out how to style my hair, I marched out of the bathroom. 

Lapis said ‘hey’ without noticing me. I picked up my phone and put it in my pocket. I had all the courage in the world in those few moments. 

I marched out the door, full of myself. When I got to the street corner, I received a text from Amethyst. It read: _Hey Peri! This is peri, right? Anywhos I’m on my way to the cafe! Meet you there, hopefully-Peri!_

I texted her back. _Hey. This is Peridot. I’m also on my way to the cafe, and will be waiting to see you there!_

Amethyst replied with a laughing emoji.

Within five minutes, I reached the Crystal Gem cafe. It was pretty crowded today, filled with people I recognized, such as my friend, Nephrite, and many people I didn’t. At the counter, where I was yesterday, was a slim middle-aged woman with pale skin and pale coral hair, cut in a pixie. 

“Hey Pearl.” I said, trying to catch her attention.

“Peridot! What a pleasure to see you! You don’t have a shift today.” Pearl said. 

“I’m waiting for someone.” I responded. At that moment, Amethyst walked through the cafe door. 

“Oh. Her.” Pearl said, seeming somewhat disappointed.

“Hey Peri! Hey P!” Amethyst said, addressing the two of us. “So... you know Pearl?” Amethyst asked, only to me this time. “Of course you know her, you work here.”

Pearl coughed. “Can I get you two anything?”

“I’ll have a pomegranate tea with lemon and vanilla.” Amethyst said, repeating her order from last time. Pearl turned to me. “Uh. I’ll have the lavender tea.” I said. 

“For here or to go?” Pearl asked. 

“To go.” Amethyst said, then turned to me. “We’re gonna see the town.” 

“Anything else?” Pearl asked.

“Actually, can we get some croissants?” Amethyst asked. 

“Ruby did you hear that?” Pearl asked to one of the cafe’s two pastry chefs. Ruby was short, her hair was a mess of dark brown curls and her skin was a warm brown tone.

“Sapphire! We need more croissants!” Ruby asked, turning to her wife and baking partner, Sapphire. Sapphire, though the same height as Ruby, was curvier, her skin was ashen and dark, her hair a pale-gray-blue. Sapphire was missing one eye. No one ever told me how she lost it, I just accepted it.

“I know.” Sapphire replied in her calm voice. “We have some in the back.”

As Ruby walked into the back room to fetch more croissants, Amethyst turned to me. “So what do you want to do today?”

I blushed. “Well.... I’d like to walk around the city some..... I don’t know........ buy books.”

Amethyst laughed. “You’re such a dork. An adorable dork, but still a dork.”

I laughed nervously. “What do you wanna do?”

“Well, your idea sounds pretty cool to me. We can do that. I’m pretty sure you know some pretty cool bookstores and stuff.”

I smiled. “I do. And.... thanks for spending time with me.”

Amethyst laughed and patted my back. “It’s nothing! You’re fun to hang out with!”

That’s the first time we touched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had fun with this. Yay amedot! And thank you guys for all your support!


	4. Walk With Me

Peridot 

After we got our drinks, Amethyst led me out of the Teashop. Without speaking to me, we walked through the city, drinking our teas. The air was still warm, even though it was September. A slight breeze chilled my face and my ears. The perfect silence.

As we walked on, Amethyst started to chat with me. “So... where’re you from?” She started.

“I grew up in Canada, but I moved here when I was in high school.”

“Canada? That’s cool. You don’t seem very Canadian, no offense. Of course, I’ve never met any other Canadians.”

I nodded. “So... what about you?”

“I’m from here. I live with my sisters, if you didn’t already gather that.”

“How many sisters do you have?”

“Oh, like, five. I’m the youngest and the shortest. Do you have any siblings?”

I shook my head. “I live with my roommate, Lapis.”

“Yeah, you mentioned her before. What’s she like?”

“Well... she’s annoying. And she’s a swimmer. And has blue hair.”

“Gotta love the colorful hair.” Amethyst said, flipping her own lavender colored hair. 

I laughed a bit, feeling myself blush.

We chatted some more while we walked, Amethyst talking about her large family, of whom I lost track of easily.

“So.... Jackie’s the tall skinny one who hangs out with Caroline, who’s also short like you but not as short as you....and Jay has curly hair... and then I’m lost. You have too much family.” I said.

Amethyst laughed, then moved closer to me. Our hands bumped into each other, then slowly intertwined. 

As the day progressed, Amethyst led me to a part of the town I had never been to before. The streets were quiet, except for the two of us talking to each other. Time seemed to pass so quickly and yet stand still, and before I knew it, the sun was setting.

“I’m hungry.” Amethyst said. “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, kinda. Do you know any good restaurants around here?” I responded.

Amethyst smiled. “I do, actually. There’s a nice bagel place a few blocks from here. Don’t know about you, but could die for a bagel right now.”

“Bagels are good.” I said, smiling.

We reached the bagel shop, which was named Bagels and Books.

“It’s also a bookstore, and one of my favorite places in the city.” Amethyst explained.

I smiled. “This is awesome!” 

Amethyst smiled and took me inside.

The shop was pretty small, with a tiny cafe on one side and shelves of books on the other side.

My heart started to beat, whether it was because of my excitement or because Amethyst was standing so close to me, I didn’t know. 

A few minutes later, Amethyst and I emerged from the shop, our arms full of paperbacks and bagels. 

“So.... What now?” Amethyst said. 

“It’s getting kinda late.” I said, nodding to the setting sun.”

Amethyst sighed. “There’s one more place I want to show you.”

“Ok.” I said, slightly smiling.

Amethyst led me through the city as the stars slowly appeared above us. We found ourselves on a bridge overlooking a valley.

“Look, you can see the ocean from here.” Amethyst said, pointed out into the valley. Just as she said, you could see the blue waters reflecting the sky in the distance.

I leaned against the railing, letting the cool night wind push my hair away from my face. “It’s..... really nice here.”

Amethyst smiled. “Yeah. It’s my favorite place in the city.”

Amethyst paused, silent for what seemed like the first time this evening. “Hey, Peridot?”

“Yeah?” I said.

“Would you mind spending time with me again?”

“No.” I said, smiling. “I would actually enjoy that, a lot.”


	5. The Coming Of Snow

~a couple months later~

As the air grew colder around us, Amethyst and I continued seeing each other. We fell into a routine of getting bagels on Saturdays, and through that we found a certain connection with each other, something I couldn’t name because I’d never felt anything like that before.

While sweeping the floor of the cafe (Today, I was working with Pearl, who, unlike Lapis, made me do the dirty work.) I tried to envision the future- specifically, the near future and what I would be doing for the holidays. I sighed.

Steven, who was sitting at the table next to me, turned around. “What is it, Peri?”

I grumbled and leaned on the broom. “I don’t know what to do for the holidays...... my parents want me to go visit them, but they live so far away, and I don’t have any money to spend on plane tickets back home.....” I added on quietly, “plus I wanna spend the holiday with Amethyst....”

Steven must’ve somehow heard through my grumbling, because he responded, cheerfully as ever, with, “That’s ok! We can all go!”

“What.....?” I responded. 

Steven smiled, his eyes lit up. “We can all go visit your parents! We can but the tickets, and you can bring Amethyst with us!”

I stood there for a moment, thinking about my options. “Yeah.... that would be nice... are you sure we could do that?”

Steven stood up and walked over the counter Pearl was standing behind. He then proceeded to tell her his idea with great enthusiasm.

“Now... Steven...” Pearl said, looking slightly overwhelmed. “Are you sure of this? Maybe we should call your father...”

Steven nodded. “I’ll go call him.” With that he walked outside with his phone, leaving Pearl and I in the empty shop. Pearl resumed walking mugs, leaving me to continue sweeping the shop.

I tried to imagine what it would be like- to introduce my parents to Amethyst. What would I tell them? She wasn’t exactly like a girlfriend to me- not yet, but we were more than friends. What would they think of her? Would Amethyst even be willing to come with me? I started to panic, clenching the broom harder. 

Steven walked back inside, smiling. “Dad says yes! We can go!”

Pearl smiled, placing a half-washed mug on the counter. “That’s great! I’ll go ask Ruby and Sapphire... doesn’t their daughter live in the area?”

I shrugged, looking at the ground. 

“You should ask Amethyst if she wants to come!” Steven said, excitement in his voice.

I slowly nodded, pulling out my phone and opening the text messages. The last thing I texted Amethyst was a picture of the sunset last night. She had responded with a purple heart .

I texted her, “Hey, you wanna go visit my parents for the holidays? It would be an all-expenses-paid vacation to Toronto.”

I waited for a couple moments, waiting for Amethyst’s response. Soon enough, my phone did buzz, signaling her response. The message read: “sounds cool! Might wanna talk this out in a bit more detail, though. Would be fun!”

I smiled nervously and responded with a, “Yeah, ok. Wanna talk about it on Saturday?”

Amethyst agreed, and I got back to my job, happier than I was before.

——————-  
A couple days later, I found myself laying in bed on Saturday morning. I groaned as my alarm blared. 

“Turn that thing off!” Lapis shouted from the other room.

I slowly silenced the alarm and dragged myself out of bed. I woke up a bit more when I remembered I would be seeing Amethyst today. 

We met outside the teashop, both of us donned in winter coats and scarfs. 

“Heyyo!” Amethyst said, smiling. She wore a bright purple, woven scarf with a design of stars all over it. It complimented her hair and eyes.

“Hey.” I said, as we started to walk. “So.... you really want to come with me?”

Amethyst nodded. “I would love to come with you! I mean, my fam doesn’t really doesn’t really do anything for the holidays, and I wanna hang out with you.”

This made my heart beat faster. I stepped a bit closer to Amethyst, our gloved fingers intertwining.

I sighed, my breath like smoke on the cold winter air. “We’ve got plane tickets leaving Saturday. I’ll pick you up then?”

Amethyst gripped my hand tighter. “Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wish I had gotten this out sooner. Enjoy!


	6. Fly Away

The airport was crowded, despite it being 6 in the morning. We were a large group, and Pearl was having a rather hard time trying to keep track of Amethyst and Steven, who kept wandering off and getting separated from the group. 

I kept pace with Ruby and Sapphire, who refused to stop flirting with each other for even a moment. Lapis walked behind us, talking with Connie and Steven’s father, Greg.

We reached the check in point, and Amethyst walked up to me. “Yo.” She said. “Excited for the plane ride?”

I nodded a bit. “Yeah. Flying is pretty ok, if you get a window seat... or the isle..... middle seats are the worst.”

Amethyst nodded. “I totally agree.”

As the line moved forward, Pearl directed Steven and handed out tickets. 

“Peridot, here’s yours..... Uhh... Ruby..... Amethyst!”

I looked at the paper ticket in my hand. My initials were printed on it in black ink, and i resisted the urge to tear at the perforations along the side. 

“Hey- We’re in first class?!” Amethyst exclaimed, making me notice the small number one on the corner of the ticket.

“Well, we can afford it.” Pearl said, shrugging. “Mostly thanks to your music, Greg.”

Greg shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

After we got through security, the group split up to get breakfast at the various overpriced fast food restaurants around the airport. Amethyst dragged me to a subway. 

As we sat with our sandwiches, Amethyst wrapped my hand in hers. “So... what are your parents like?”

I was too flustered to answer her, and was quite relived when my phone buzzed, signaling the text Pearl had just sent me. I broke my hand away from Amethyst’s to answer the text. It read:   
Peridot-   
We’re at gate twelve. The plane is taking off soon. Please come over.  
-Pearl 

I sighed and stood up.

“What does it say?” Amethyst asked, also standing up.

“Pearl’s at gate twelve, and the plane’s taking off soon.”

“Sweet.” Amethyst said, picking up her bag.

We walked through the crowded airport, holding each other by the hand in order to not get separated. Eventually, we reached gate twelve, where Pearl, along with the rest of the group, was standing.

“There you are!” Pearl said, a worried tone in her voice. “Now we can board the plane!”

The group moved to the entrance to the plane, where an overly cheery looking flight attendant stood. “The Universe entourage?” After we nodded and she checked our tickets, she led us into the plane, specifically the first class section. I had never seen anything like it. Unlike economy, which is what I usually traveled in, everything was spacious and pristine.

“The seats are in compartments of two. Ruby and Sapphire, Greg and Steven, I’ll go with Connie, Lapis can sit alone, and Peridot can sit with Amethyst.”

My heart skipped a beat.

The group quickly dispersed into the various pairs, each going into a separate compartment. Amethyst and I reached our own, which was pristine, spacious, and luxurious.

“You can have the window seat if you want.” Amethyst said, gesturing to the open seat.

I nodded and sat down in the seat, placing my bag on the ground. I looked out at the slowly brightening sky, trying not to make eye contact with Amethyst.

After the dull monotone of the flight safety video ended and the rush of takeoff, and I drowned into the soft indie music I had downloaded on my phone, thanks to the glory of Spotify premium. The minutes slowly turned into hours of slowly falling in and out of sleep, and randomly doodling on my tablet. 

Amethyst, who had been asleep for most of the flight up until then, looked over at my tablet. “Whatcha drawing?”

I held the tablet to my chest in alarm. “Uh. Nothing. Glad to see you’re awake.....”

Amethyst shrugged and pulled out her own sketchbook and headphones, and started to draw. More time passed until the sky around us turned dark. 

After placing my tablet into my bag, I yawned and started to recline my seat. At some point in time, Amethyst and I had changed into the satin bathrobes the plane had provided. 

Amethyst packed up her own sketchbook and mimicked my action of turning the seat into a bed. 

After moments of silence except for our own breathing and the sound of the plane, Amethyst spoke. “Do you wanna like.... be more than friends?”

“Yeah.” I responded. 

“Yeah.” Amethyst responder. “That would be nice.”

I fell asleep to the sound of her breathing and my own heart beating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they’re actually together wow  
> Also I’ve never flown first class so sorry if I got any details wrong


	7. Home At Last

I woke up to the blinding sunlight and the warmth of Amethyst’s hand on mine. I slowly sat up, gaining recollections to where I was- the sky above Canada. As soon as I got my glasses on my face, I looked to Amethyst, to check wether or not she was awake yet. She wasn’t. 

Despite the bed hair, drool, and tears, Amethyst was surprisingly cute while she slept. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around my own hand. I pulled it away.

Amethyst must’ve noticed that, because she soon sat up, stretching her arms in a yawn.

“So where are we, exactly?” Amethyst said, climbing over me to look out the window. This startled me and I shoved her back to her seat, saying, “Over Canada. I think we’ll be landing soon.”

“Yeah.” Amethyst responded. Shortly after, a cheery-looking flight attendant knocked on the compartment door. Amethyst opened it. “Hello?” 

The flight attendant was revealed to be pushing a cart. “Would you two like any breakfast? We’ll be landing soon!”

It took me a while to comprehend the two statements, and I declined the offer of food. Amethyst, on the contrary, ordered a plate of tortilla chips and peanut butter, which the flight attendant’s cart somehow had. 

Amethyst offered to share her breakfast with me as the plane descended, but I declined her offer and started to pack up my belongings that were scattered around the cabin, and changing out of the bathrobe the plane had provided and into my own clothes- a thick, dark green jacket worn over two layers, on top and bottom. On top of that, I wore a fluffy green scarf. It usually got below freezing in the winter up in Canada, and I was coming prepared. After I suggested getting dressed to Amethyst, she got up and got changed in the plane restroom. In a few minutes, she came back in an outfit similar to mine, but in purple. 

The plane landed with a slight impact, making me jump in my seat. As soon as the little ‘ding’ that represented that it was ok to move around the plane sounded, Amethyst and I stood up, grabbed our bags, and made our way out of the plane.

“There you are!” Pearl exclaimed. “Did you have a good flight?” 

I glanced at Amethyst and nodded. “Yeah. We did.”

Lapis walked past us, earbuds in her ears. 

“And how was your flight, Lapis?” Pearl asked. 

“Eh.” Was Lapis’s only response.

We were soon greeted by Steven, Greg, Ruby, and Sapphire, who all shared Pearl’s general enthusiasm for the flight. 

“I’m just happy we all made here safe and sound with no casualties or problems whatsoever!” Pearl exclaimed as we walked out into the airport.

The air was colder here, and I was glad I was wearing a scarf. The airport was large and full of people, all of whom seemed to be staring at us. 

As we moved around the airport, reclaiming our baggage, I became more comfortable in our surroundings, as well around Amethyst.

After going through customs, the group reached the pick up area, where a woman was holding up a sign reading, ‘The Universe Entourage’.

The woman was tall, with an almost square shaped black Afro, similar to Ruby’s hair. She was wearing almost-opaque sunglasses and a leather jacket.

“Garnet!” Ruby said, running up to the woman, Sapphire following. The couple hugged ‘Garnet’.

Pearl walked up to Garnet after the family reunion hug was done. The two of them exchanged a handshake.

“It’s nice to see you all again.” Garnet said. She turned to face me. “You must be Peridot.”

I nodded. “That’s me.”

Garnet glanced at Amethyst, smiled, lowered her sunglasses, and winked at me, as if to tell me everything was alright.

I glanced at Amethyst, who was on her phone, just like the first time I saw her. 

Garnet led our group out of the airport and through the city. The cold air brushed my hair away from my face. I pulled my scarf closer around me. I was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit short, this is what you guys get for a mid-week update


	8. A Light Snow In Toronto

As we sat on the warm bus, huddled onto plastic seats, the group discussed living arrangements for the next few days. It was then it dawned on me that we came on this trip on a total whim with no prior planning. The group came to the decision that Ruby and Sapphire would stay with Garnet, Greg, Pearl, Steven And Connie would rent out a few hotel rooms, and Lapis, Amethyst, And I would stay with my parents. 

The bus screeched to a stop outside a red brick building surrounded by snow. Garnet, who was sitting in the seat behind Amethyst and I, stood up and walked toward the front of the bus. Ruby and Sapphire, after grabbing their (thanks to pearl) color-coordinated luggage, followed their daughter. After the family got off the bus and started walking towards the building, the bus started up again. 

I pressed my head to the cold glass as the vehicle vibrated, my hands buried deep in my pockets. Moments later, the bus stopped again, letting Pearl, Greg, Steven and Connie off the vehicle, leaving only Amethyst, Lapis and myself on the bus. After the bus started moving again, Amethyst turned to me.

“So what’s your family like?” She asked.

I searched my brain, looking for the right words to describe my mother. Then it dawned on me. “I FORGOT TO TELL THEM WE WERE COMING!!!!”

We sat there for a moment, in silence, until Lapis replied with, “Well that’s a major Oof.”

“Yeah.” Amethyst said. “Are they really lenient about this stuff or what?”

I looked at my hands. “Well, we’re going to see my mom and she’s......” I trailed off.

“Lemme guess.” Amethyst said. “She’s super stern about this kinda junk.”

I looked up at Amethyst. “No, no. She’s a really good mom. Super responsible and mature. But she’s..... also kinda strict.”

Amethyst looked at Lapis. “Told ya.”

I held my hands up in an effort to calm everyone down, even though I was the only one freaking out. “Look, just follow my lead and you’ll be fine!” 

Amethyst smiled. “Sounds like we’re on some sort of spy mission.”

Before I could respond, the bus creaked to a stop. 

“This’ll be our stop.” I said. 

Lapis was the first to stand up, then Amethyst. I followed her. After pulling out our color coded luggage, we climbed out of the bus and onto the snow covered sidewalk. 

After walking through the snow for about a quarter mile, we reached my childhood home. I had grown up at a large estate, due to my mother’s wealth from her job of being a doctor.

The three of us walked up to the door. 

“You knock.” Amethyst said. 

I raised my hand to the mahogany door and knocked. Moments later, the door opened, a tall, mature woman with white-blonde hair opened the door. 

“Hey mom.” I said.

“Peridot.” She responded in monotone. “You never told me you were coming over for the holidays.”

I buried my hands in my pockets again. “Yeah..... it was kinda a spur of the moment trip. I hope we’re not too much of a burden?”

Mother stood in the doorway for a second, then opened the door. “No, not at all. You and your companions can come join me for tea.”

We walked through the house in an almost perfect line, Mother, then me, followed by Amethyst, and finally Lapis. Our coats and luggage had been pulled away by Mother’s personal assistant, Canary. 

We sat in the tearoom, which was decorated in only pure gold tones. Bookshelves lined the walls. The room had not only cream colored couches and tables, but a fireplace. As a child, I had always loved the peaceful coziness I had fled here, especially in winter.

“Sit down.” Mother said, gesturing to the empty seats. I awkwardly sat down, followed by Lapis and Amethyst.

“So, who are these two?” Mother said, gesturing to Amethyst and Lapis.

“Lapis is my roommate.” I said, gesturing to the blue haired tattoo artist. “And Amethyst is... a good friend.” I couldn’t summon the courage to say girlfriend, it was still too soon.

“Ah.” Mother sipes her tea. “You’re lucky we have the accommodations to house these two.”

For some reason, that statement felt like a knife to the gut. Amethyst glanced at me.

Mother continued. “How’ve you’re studies been, Peridot?”

“They’ve been.... good.”

“Computer studies, correct?” 

I nodded.

“A promising field. Hopefully, you’ll be able to persevere in it.”

I nodded again.

Mother took another sip of her tea, then brushed us away. “You three may go now. Canary will show you to your rooms.”

As I walked through my old home, I felt a new sense of dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how buses work pls don’t sue me.
> 
>  
> 
> Fun chapter


	9. Isolation and Dreams

Canary led Lapis, Amethyst and I through the old house, The two former eventual branching off into a separate hall, leaving me alone to show Amethyst around my old house.

“So your mom.” Amethyst said. “She’s kinda scary.”

“I know.” I said. Every muscle in my body felt tense, like she was still watching me.

Amethyst hit my shoulder playfully. “Hey, it can’t be that bad, can it?”

I tenderly touched the place Amethyst has hit me. “I don’t know..... I don’t know what to tell her about us.... or about school.... or anything.....”

Amethyst sighed. “Don’t tell me she’s-“

“No, she’s pretty cool with lgbt stuff.... I just don’t think she’d approve of me taking time from my studies for a relationship.... she’s pretty serious about that stuff....” I trailed off.

“Well, you’re an adult. She can’t tell you what to do with your life.” Amethyst responded. 

I sighed and stared at my feet. “I know... she’s just been always there.... telling me I’m not enough....”

Without a sound, Amethyst moved close to me and wrapped my arm in hers. “You are enough- hell, you’re more than enough. You’re mom doesn’t see it but I do.”

I moved only a few steps closer to Amethyst, and our bodies collided. We fell to the ground with a medium sized crash. I found myself on my hands and knees, on top of Amethyst. Our bodies were only inches apart. 

Amethyst didn’t move in the slightest, neither of us did. Instead, we stood still, gazing into each other’s eyes. That lasted about twenty seconds before I realized the awkwardness of the situation and immediately jumped off of Amethyst and collided backwards. “I’msosorry” I blurt out, the words flowing into each other. 

Amethyst sat up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “It’s ok....”

I stayed on the other side of the room for a few more seconds, then stood up and walked to where Amethyst was standing.

“I.... I really don’t know what to do....” I said quietly. 

“Guess we’ll have to figure it out.” Amethyst said. 

I took in a few deep breaths, then started to walk down the hall, Amethyst following and keeping pace with me. We reached a closed door, with a sign on it that read, ‘Peri’s room- Do not enter’ in neon green marker. Before entering, I ran my fingers down the doorframe. Then, taking in a breath, I opened the door. 

The room was just as I had left it- mostly empty, save for the corner of the room with my bookshelves, desk, and computer. The queen sized bed had the same olive green linens and ugly and unnecessary throw pillows that my mother always insisted on having. A dim evening light shone through the thick curtains that masked the floor to ceiling windows. The room did have a beautiful view of Mother’s estate, but I always kept the windows shut to make the room seem smaller. As a young child, the open space frightened me. 

As I stepped into the room, I noticed how cold it was in here compared to the rest of the house. Despite my being gone for less than a year, the room already seemed dead. 

I turned around to see Amethyst, standing in the doorway. “You can come in.” I called, right as she started to walk into the bedroom.

“I was thinking we could... er.... stay here together.” I stuttered. “The house gets really cold at night and- and I don’t want you- Uh......”

“Sure.” Amethyst said. “You know where that Canary took our stuff?”

“Probably the guest rooms. I can go get it if you want.”

“Sure.” Amethyst said as she say down on my bed. 

As I walked out of the room, my heart was racing and my head was in the clouds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is out kinda late. I was postponing writing this til my new headphones came in, and now I have my headphones so I wrote it. Real fun. I’m pretty sure I snuck a few references in there.


	10. Hold Me

A few hours past, spent catching up with Mother, guiding Lapis time and time again to the bathroom, and replaying the conversation I had with Amethyst over and over again in my mind. It had been a fairly simple exchange of words, but there was something more to them, something deeper. 

Soon, the sun set, leaving the moon to illuminate the fresh coat of snow that was laying on the ground. I watched the street lamps begin to light up from the hallway window on the second floor, my hand pressed against the cold glass windowpane. I stood there, in complete solitude, for a few seconds before Canary approached me. 

I saw her reflection before I heard her, and spun around to face my mother’s servant. As a child, Canary had always given me a very unsettling feeling, like she was always watching me. 

“Your mother has arranged tonight’s dinner.” She said in her haughty, high pitched voice. “She wishes for you to join her downstairs.”

“O-ok.” I said, stepping to the side and away from Canary. I didn’t want to disappoint my mother (she could get rather temperamental), so I made my way downstairs.

Despite being almost completely decorated in various shades of yellow, the house gave off a cold, empty feel, like it was supposed to be full of many, many more people than it was. Mother never took the effort to personalize the place with the likes of family photos or my old drawings, so it always seemed like I wasn’t supposed to be there. 

The dining hall was by far the most magnificent room in the house. To call it a dining hall would be stripping it of it’s true glory, it was more like a ballroom. Marble floors sparked, reflecting my very out of place appearance. Massive floor to ceiling windows showcased my mother’s rose gardens, now covered in snow. A golden chandelier hung from the ceiling, giving the room an almost fairytale like atmosphere. 

In the center of the room was a long table, made of the finest mahogany wood. The table was covered with a champagne colored tablecloth, complete with white lace accents. Though massive, the table was only set for four people, and only one sat at it- my mother, who was wearing a golden evening gown. 

“Peridot.” She said stiffly, standing up. “You’re dressed rather causally.”

“Sorry...” I muttered. “I didn’t really pack any formal wear....”

“It’s fine.” Mother responded with no emotion in her words or expression. “Please, sit down.” She said, sitting down herself.

I sat down next to Mother and stared into the ceramic plate before me, afraid to make eye contact.

After what was moments but felt like hours, Lapis and Amethyst walked into the room, both as casually dressed as I was. After marveling at the room for a while, the two made their way to the table and sat down. Amethyst sat down next to me.

After another long moment of awkwardness, my mother spoke up. “So, Lapis, Amethyst, I assume you go to Delmarva University with Peridot?”

“Yeah” and “yup” were their responses, both said in hushed, nervous tones.

“What are you studying?” Mother inquired.

“Uh... art.” Amethyst said nervously, then coughed. 

“Art. Very... ambitious.” Mother turned to Lapis.

“Art as well.” Was her response.

Mother nodded, keeping her neutral expression. Within seconds, Canary walked in, pushing a cart full of food from the kitchen. 

After being served our minestrone and garlic bread, the room grew silent. One thing I missed about my childhood was the excellent cooking. 

The silence lasted the entire dinner. After finishing on some delicious creme brûlée, the small group dispersed, each heading to our separate rooms.

As Amethyst and I walked side by side, I felt myself tense. “I’m sorry about her.” I whispered, referring to my mother.

“It’s ok.” Amethyst responded. “It’s not like you can control her...”

We reached my bedroom door. 

“You wanna take the first shower?” Amethyst asked.

“Sure. I said, walking in the room, grabbing my clothes, and walking off.

The bathroom was as glamorous and golden as the rest of the house, and I decided to take advantage of my mother’s amenities and draw a bath. 

The water was warm and steamy, enveloping me like a blanket. The tub was pretty deep, so I filled it up so much the water almost came to my nose. The water stayed still as long as I did, but moved in ripples as soon as I moved even a finger. It felt like my life, one simple event kickstarting a chain of things. 

I held my legs to my chest for a few moments before getting out into the cold air. After drying off and getting changed into neon green flannel pajamas, I made my way back to my room, where Amethyst was standing, holding her own supplies. 

“You can shower now.” I said, gesturing to the bathroom. Amethyst walked past me, leaving me in the doorway. After a moment of contemplation, I walked into my room, climbed onto my king sized bed, and buried myself under six inches of blankets. 

I was falling alseep when the door opened and Amethyst walked in. She came over to the bed. “Hey. I’m sleeping here, right?”

Most of my brain was half alseep at this point, so I wearily responded with, “yea, sure” and buried my face in some pillows.

Amethyst climbed into the bed, beside me. After flipping through her phone a bit, she turned it off and set it off. She buried herself in the covers and turned to face me. 

Cautiously, I turned to face her. Amethyst’s eyes were closed, her skin and hair illuminated by the moonlight.

I moved closer to her and wrapped my arms around her. She was warm, and smelled like lavender.


	11. Morning Snow

I woke up slowly, the pressure of blankets and sheets pressing against my chest. I could barely see without my glasses, but I could faintly make out rays of morning light.

I slowly sat up, the air cold on my arms. I fumbled around my nightstand a bit before finding my glasses and putting them on. After sitting in bed for a few moments, slowly waking up, I got out of bed. I shivered when my bare feet hit the cold floor. 

I walked across the cold, hard floor, and over to the window. It wasn’t snowing anymore, and the soft blues and oranges of the morning sun complimented the bright, blatant witness of the blanket of snow that covered the city. 

“Peri?” I heard someone say.

I spun around, nearly falling. It was Amethyst. Somehow, whenever I saw her, she became more stunning, taking my breath away.

Amethyst got out of bed and walked past me, touching me on the shoulder. When our faces came the closest, she whispered, “thanks for holding me last night.” 

Without further elaboration, she moved passed me, gathering whatever clothes she was planning on wearing today. I was soon left alone in my room. 

After both of us were changed, I led Amethyst out of the house. “I don’t wanna eat breakfast with my mother.”

“Ok.” Amethyst said as we passed the gate and got onto the open street. “We’re not gonna get Lapis?”

“ARGH I FORGOT!” I said. “I’ll text her.” I said, pulling out my phone, sending Lapis a message detailing our absence, then sent Pearl a text telling her we would be at the coffee shop on the corner of Briar Street and Duke Avenue. After pocketing my phone, we walked off. 

The air was still and cold, silent yet full of noise. As we traveled closer to the center of the city, the number of people on the street increased, as did the amount of light in the sky. Winter in Toronto, when it wasn’t snowing, was a bright, cold world of light. There was really something unique about a world so bright, yet so, so cold.

We reached the coffee shop- it was a small, corner side bakery, called Blue’s Cafe.

When we walked into the cafe, a bell sounded, reminding me of our own Crystal Gem Teahouse back in Delmarva. Unlike our shop, though, Blue’s Cafe was crowded with patrons and tourists alike. I scanned the room quickly for Pearl. I found her, along with Steven, Connie, and Greg, sitting at a table near the window.

As Amethyst and I made our way to the group, Pearl started a conversation. Questions like, “where were you?”, “did you sleep well?”, And “where’s Lapis” 

I quickly answered the questions with various forms of ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘we got lost’. Pearl, surprisingly, accepted all these responses and invited us to sit down. 

Everyone shuffled a bit down the wooden bench to make room for Amethyst and I to sit down. Even though there was only a fraction of our entire group here, we were still cramped around the tiny table the cafe had provided for us.

Pearl stood up. “So, I’ll go get everyone’s orders?”

As the majority of everyone nodded and agreed, Connie stood up and walked past the table. “I’ll help you, Ms. Pearl!”

“Oh, you don’t have to call me that!” Pearl said as they walked to join the line. 

“Does she even know our offers?” Amethyst laughed, her shoulder bumping into mine. 

“I don’t think she does.” I glanced over at Pearl and Connie, who were chatting. 

In a few minutes, Connie and Pearl came back, each with their hands full of drink cups. Pearl started to distribute the drinks. 

“We didn’t get your orders, so I just guessed what you wanted.” Pearl explained, handing Amethyst and I warm cups. Based on the aroma it gave off, the drink was warm lavender tea. 

I took a sip of the bittersweet, warm, drink and sighed. The group grew nearly silent as we enjoyed our various beverages. 

I was almost halfway done with my tea when Amethyst took me by the hand and led me out of the coffee shop. 

It was still cold outside, the only thing warm was the cup I was still holding, my hand, which was wrapped in Amethyst’s, and my face.

Amethyst led me to the side of the sidewalk and put her hands on my shoulders, pulling me down. I dropped the tea as the pullled me in for a kiss. 

As soon as our lips met, everything around me melted away. Somehow, everything in the world was right in that moment. 

It was my first kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY THIS WASN’T OUT WAY EARLIER!!!!


	12. Frost

Walking into Mother’s house was like entering another time- it was just so warm compared to the snow covered world outside. 

It had been a few hours since my kiss with Amethyst, and I still felt every emotion I had went it first happened. I was still in a moment of shock- I had actually kissed Amethyst. Or had she kissed me? Who knows how these things work. 

After leaving the cafe, we had met up with Lapis and walked through the city a bit together, before deciding to come back home. And there we were- standing in my mother’s doorway. 

As I walked inside the house, nothing was different, but something seemed wrong. More wrong than usual. 

I noticed my mother was in the sitting room, and tried to drag my friends away from the door so we wouldn’t be noticed. I failed.

Mother came storming through the door, looking angry as ever. Lapis his behind me.

“Peridot.” Mother said strictly, the haughty tones of her voice coming out. “I’ve noticed a decline in your grades, especially your math courses.”

“You’re.... still watching over my grades?” I stuttered under my breath.

“Of course I am! What kind of mother would I be if-“ she cut herself off with a sharp hand gesture, figuratively shoving the former sentence away. “Never mind. What has been keeping you from your studies?!”

I stood there, frozen for a moment. Then, without regard to whatever happened next, I burst out. “I don’t know, maybe doing things that I actually enjoy?! Looking out for my mental health instead of working myself to death?! Maybe doing my job so I can pay rent?!”

Mother seemed shocked for a moment, then grew angrier. “You need to focus on your schoolwork!”

“Mom I’m. An. ADULT! I DON’T NEED YOU UP ON MY CASE ANYMORE!”

“You still need my guidance! I’m not letting you be another internet artist making a living off on patreon!”

“TOO BAD! IM LEAVING!” By now, I was crying. 

Without any though at all, I zipped up my coat and walked out the door, into the snowstorm outside.

________________________________

The wind was freezing cold on my face. I didn’t regret storming out- just forgetting to bring more layers. I couldn’t feel my fingers or see anything. 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m lost....” I muttered to myself as I trudged through about six inches of snow in my tennis shoes.

All I could see was the faint neon signs on various buildings, advertising whatever action movie was coming out soon. 

I sat down on a bench, waiting for a bus to come. “Do I have any money..?” I wondered, clenching my numb hands together and holding them close to my face in an effort to keep warm.

Just as I was about to give up hope on the world, the blinding light of a car’s headlights approached me. I summoned my strength, stood up, and walked towards the car, which had stopped in front of the curb. 

The window rolled down. It was Garnet. 

“Get in the car. I don’t want you to freeze.” She said, slightly forcefully. 

I opened the door to the passenger seat and climbed in. Garnet’s car was warm, even warmer when I closed the door completely.

As Garnet started to drive off, I began to thaw. It was a still, silent world for a few moments, until Garnet broke the tension by stating, “There’s gum in the glove compartment if you want any.”

“I’m good, thanks.” I said, then went silent again. 

Another time, the silence was broken, this time by me. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Was Garnet’s only response. 

I pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged myself. A wave of emotion came upon me, and I started to sob. I didn’t stop- I couldn’t stop. Every emotion I had been bottling up my entire life just came pouring out like never before. 

Garnet stopped the car and put her hand on my shoulder. “There. Let it out.”

I let out an ugly sob noise and buried my face in my knees.

Garnet continued patting my shoulder as I cried. After all my tears were gone and my eyes were dry, I sat up straight.

“Emotions can be tough.” Garnet said, putting her hands on the wheel but not starting the car. 

“Yeah.....” I said. “I don’t know what to do right now.....”

“That’s ok. You don’t have to know right now.”

I looked down at my hands. “I think I want to go home.” I muttered.

“We can arrange that.” Garnet said. “But not right now. Now we should focus on getting out of this snowstorm.”

“Yeah.” I said with a brisk nod as Garnet started the car again. 

We drove through the snow in utter silence the rest of the way back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kinda short, I couldn’t force anything else out that wasn’t filler. Have some good ol mom garnet.


	13. On The Way Back

When we reached Garnet’s apartment, I was ushered inside immediately. Before i knew it, I was sitting on a couch, wrapped in three blankets, and holding a steaming cup of tea. 

Every emotion was still fresh in me, and my eyes felt dry, like I had run out of tears. 

Sapphire walked over to me, a blank expression on her face. She handed my a phone, which I held to my ear. Immediately, I was bombarded by Pearl’s questions.

“What happened? Are you ok? What were you thinking, going out in a blizzard?! Where are Lapis and Amethyst?” Were only a few of the questions I was hit with. I started to shake, still feeling too broken to respond to anything. 

“Peridot?” Pearl’s voice cracked through the phone. I tightened my grip on the teacup. 

Sapphire took the phone away from me and held it to her own ear. “Peri’s still too shaken to talk. From what Garnet could tell, she was running away from her mother. Last we heard, Amethyst and Lapis are still at the manor.” 

As Sapphire and Pearl continued to talk, Ruby came over to me and sat down on the couch. “Hey, you ok?” She said. 

I pulled the blanket closer around me. “I-I wanna go home. This isn’t home.”

Ruby nodded, then turned to Sapphire. “She wants to go home.”

Sapphire nodded and passed the information on to Pearl, who, based on the noises I heard coming from the phone, started panicking. 

“I can book flight tickets back to Delmarva tonight.” Said Sapphire. “Garnet can go bring Amethyst and Lapis over here to the apartment. Don’t freak out.” 

Pearl and Sapphire continued talking for a while more, then Sapphire hung up. “Garnet, would you mind going to get Amethyst and Lapis?” She asked her very tall daughter. 

“Not a problem.” Was Garnet’s only response as she walked back outside into the storm. 

Sapphire turned to me. “You should really drink your tea. From my experience, Ruby’s teas are delicious.”

Ruby smiled and blushed, and I couldn’t help but feel I was interrupting something. 

In about half an hour, the door burst open, and Garnet, Amethyst and Lapis quicky shuffled through the threshold. My first instinct was to run up to Amethyst and embrace her, which for some reason I went with. 

I caught her off guard at first, but seconds into the embrace Amethyst relaxed and hugged me back. My fingers and toes were still numb from the cold, and I imagined it was the same for Amethyst, but everything was warm in that moment. 

When we finally broke apart, mostly due to everyone watching us, Amethyst wrapped her hands around mine.

I pulle Amethyst into a isolated part of the apartment, where we could be alone. 

“I’m sorry....” I muttered, looking at my feet. “I’m so, so sorry....”

“No, don’t be!” Amethyst shouted. “Look. If anyone is sorry it should be me. I dragged you into this.”

“I don’t know where to go now.”

“Neither do I.”

“What do you wanna do now then?”

“I don’t really know what we can do.... we could go back home.”

“Home sounds good. Better than this.”

“Anything’s better than this.” 

I stepped closer to Amethyst and brushed the hair out of her face. 

In a moment that seemed to last forever, I kissed Amethyst. This time, I led. It was both familiar and completely new at the same time.

We broke the kiss for a moment to catch our breath, then started kissing again. 

When we finally broke, I was standing over Amethyst. We stood there, awkwardly, for a few seconds, then Amethyst burst out laughing. I nervously laughed with her. 

As she stood up straight, Amethyst put her hand on my shoulder. 

It was around midnight when Amethyst and I finally made it back to the living room, where Lapis was already asleep on the couch. 

I sat down on the couch, a distance from Lapis, and wrapped myself in a blanket. Amethyst sat down next to me and stole half my blanket, wrapping both of us in it. We fell alseep, together, in a bundle of warmth in a cold winter world.!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late and kinda short


	14. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY I DIDN’T HAVE A CHAPTER LAST WEEK  
> was busy and all  
> Anyways have this

The sky was bright blue the next morning, as we walked back to the airport. I couldn’t summon the strength to speak to anyone. I was the cause of all of this. I didn’t deserve to be heard.

After we got through security, we still had about an hour til the plane even got there, so I sat in the waiting area and faced a window. The rest of the group split up to get various breakfast foods, but Lapis sat down a few seats left of me and watched the plane going to Seattle take off. It was a slow process, and overall not very entertaining, but neither Lapis nor I looked away. 

Half an hour later, the group gathered around me and Lapis again. Lapis turned her whole body around to face the group, but I didn’t move save for tilting my head slightly upward. 

“When does the plane get here?” Said Amethyst.

“In half an hour.” Replied Sapphire, almost instantaneously, with no discernible emotion in her voice. With that, Pearl started to ramble about how efficient it was that we got here the time that we did- that it gave us just enough time to get food.

Amethyst leaned into my chair, her hair brushing against mine. “You ok there?” 

I leaned back in my chair. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

I gazed at the high, gray ceiling. After five minutes of listening to Pearl ramble on, I said to Amethyst, “I think there’s a bird in here.”

“Huh.” Was Amethyst’s response. “You want some subway?”

“No.” I said. “I’m not hungry.”

“Ya sure?” Amethyst said, handing me a sandwich wrapped in yellow and green paper. “I saved your order from last time.”

I sighed, sat up, and took the sandwich. For some reason, having subway for breakfast was such a funny thing to me.

I had just finished eating when the plane started boarding. We hadn’t gotten first class this time, and we were in one of the last boarding groups. Even so, Pearl made us get up and dragged us to the far back of the line.

When we got inside, it was an instant struggle to find seats. Amethyst took me by the hand and pulled me to the back of the plane, where we found side-by-side empty seats.

“You can have the widow seat.” Amethyst said, practically shoving me into the seat. 

I sat down in the fake-leather, barely padded blue seat, buckled the seatbelt that went across my waist, and immediately started to fidget with the tray. 

Amethyst sat down next to me and buckled her own seatbelt, then absent-mindedly glanced around the cabin, as if she was looking for someone. 

After the flight attendants went over safety precautions (which I completely zoned out to) the plane took off. It was a strange feeling- my entire body pressed to the back of the seat while the floor vibrated against my feet. I couldn’t tell exactly when the plane stoop touching the ground, and it felt like we were on an ever-climbing ramp leading straight to the heavens. 

And then it stopped. We were in the air. The soft hum of white noise played in the back of my brain and I struggled to recapture my breath. 

Amethyst wrapped her hand around mine and squeezed it, then pulled out her phone and earbuds. After properly arranging the cords, she handed me one earbud. “Share?” She asked. I nodded and took it.

Amethyst started up a Lofi playlist and leaned onto my shoulder. “Sorry.” She whispered uncharacteristically. 

“It’s my fault.” I countered her argument with a weak one of my own.

Amethyst sighed and climbed to me. “We’re going home now.”

“Yeah.” I said, gazing at the nothing in front of me. “That’s good.”

“Mmh.” Amethyst said and moved closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her, even though it was barely cold in the plane.

———————-

I must’ve fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being woken up by Amethyst gently shoving me. “C’mon.” She said. “The plane’s about to land.”

I wearily sat up blinked a couple times, still not fully awake. 

The plane hit with a slight impact, not as much as the first one, but still enough to make me yelp. 

“Peri, it’s just the ground calm down.” Amethyst said, chuckling and playfully shoving me.

I laughed alongside her.

The plane pulled up to the airport and the little sign above signaled that it was ok to get up now, but I waited. People passed by, but Amethyst and I stayed together until there was barely anyone left but us. Then, we got up.

Like in Toronto, the walls of the airport were lined with floor to ceiling windows. The ceiling was high enough that birds could fly around in, and the abundance of t-shirt selling stands was all too familiar. There was one difference, though. When I looked outside, I no longer saw the bleak, cold world of my memories and my history. I saw the warm purples of the Delmarva sunset. I saw my home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels really good to be writing again. It’s been a while (lol it’s been a week) and this really helps me deal with my worries.  
> Thank you for reading!  
> (This is not the end!)


	15. All My Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys don’t mind me breaking my usual update schedule to bring you this. It’s kinda short, and there will be another update on Sunday like usual, but I needed to get some emotions off of my chest

After saying farewell to the others, Amethyst and I decided to go home together. As we trudged through the snow (even here, it was snowy), our shoulders occasionally brushing against each other, I felt at peace again for the first time in while. 

“Hey, Amethyst?” I said. I could see my breath tonight, it was that cold.

“Yeah?” She responded.

I sighed and dug my hands into my pockets. “Thanks for being here for me. It means a lot...”

“Hey, no problem.” Amethyst took my hand and stopped walking. I turned to face her. It was night, so I could barely see, but she was still as breathtaking as ever. “That’s what friends are for

“Yeah.” I said, stepping closer to Amethyst. “But I thought we were more than friends...”

Amethyst immediately hugged me and started laughing. “You’re right..... we are..... when did we establish that......”

I laughed along with her. “C’mon..... it’s getting cold.”

“Yeah.”

We walked through the darkening city together as it started to snow, making small talk about the coffee shops in the area. 

When we reached my apartment building, it was already 10:23. 

I stood there, outside the glass doors, as the yellowy artificial light bathed everything in sight.

“Please.....” I whispered to Amethyst. “Will you stay with me tonight?” 

Amethyst stared at me for a few seconds in shock, then smiled. “O-ok. Kinda out of nowhere, but ok.”

I took Amethyst by the hand and led her into the apartment complex and up the three flights of stairs that led to my apartment. Once we got in (after a sufficient amount of struggling with the keys) we were inside.

The apartment really was a mess. Lapis and I barely got along, but we could both agree that organization wasn’t necessary. Our clothes and books were strewn across the floor and Jasper the cat had eaten half of Lapis’ essay and had thrown it all up on the floor near the heater.

“You’re sure your roommate’s ok with this?” Amethyst said, sitting down on my bed. 

“Yeah.” I said. “Lapis probably won’t be back til three, and she doesn’t really care....”

Amethyst nodded and took off her winter coat. I followed her actions. “You want me to put that away for you?”

“Yeah.” Amethyst said, handing me her jacket. I took it over to my desk and draped it over the chair, then walked back over to Amethyst. It felt hard to breathe. “So..... uh......... what now?”

Amethyst shrugged. “You tired?”

“Yeah.” I said. 

Amethyst stood up. “You can get to sleep, then. Can I use your shower?”

“Sure I said, sitting down on my bed. “My shampoo is the tea tree herbal kind. You can use that if you want.”

“Cool.” Amethyst said as she walked off.

I buried myself in my sheets, feeling all emotions at once. Everything still felt so fresh, so new. All the love I felt, all at once.

After seven minutes of running water sounds and three minutes of silence, the bathroom door opened and Amethyst walked back out. “Hey, Peri.” She said. “Move over...” She said, pushing me to the wall and climbing into the bed.

“Hey ame....” I drowsily said. 

“Hey.” She whispered back. “I love you, ya know that?”

“Yeah.” I said. “That’s nice.”


	16. Soft

It was the morning light pouring through the window that woke me up. Amethyst was still asleep, but I couldn’t get up because she was clinging to me. Trapped by her body, I leaned back and sighed, looking at the beige plaster ceiling. 

I had no idea when Lapis had gotten home, or if she had at all. I hoped that she hadn’t, having to explain the situation with Amethyst would be too complicated. 

After moments of sitting in what seemed like complete silence and stillness, I attempted to shove Amethyst off of me. She eventually woke up and looked me in the eye. 

“Mornin.” She whispered.

“Hey.” I responded. “Can you get off me so I can get up.”

Amethyst sat up and moved so I could get up. I looked over to see that Lapis, in fact, wasn’t home yet, but her cat Jasper had invaded her bed.

I sighed and stood up, grabbed a generic outfit from my drawer, and headed to the shower.

It took a while to get the water as warm as I wanted it to be, but it eventually reached the correct temperature of ‘so hot it’ll almost scorch your skin’. 

After thoroughly washing by bright blonde hair, I got out of the shower, soaking wet and out of breath, but I felt refreshed. 

I stood there, looking into the mirror. The room was steamy to the point it made me lightheaded, but somehow the floor was still freezing cold. It was almost surreal, until I snapped out of it. 

I quicky dried off, got dressed, and walked back into the main apartment. In contrast to the dark, dim, and stuffy bathroom, the apartment was airy, bright, and open. Amethyst was sitting on my bed, messing with Jasper the cat, who had migrated from Lapis’s bed to the floor. 

I sat down next to Amethyst and pulled my legs up onto the bed so Jasper couldn’t reach my rainbow socks.

“You look pretty gay.” Amethyst remarked.

“Well, I am gay so at least I have a reason.” I retorted, then smiled as Amethyst chuckled.

“Valid point.” She said. “So Lappy never came home?”

“Yeah. She tends to stay out for whatever reason.”

“Ah. I’m pretty sure her cat hates me, by the way.”

I put my hand down near Jasper, who promptly ignored me. “She hates everyone, Lapis including Lapis.”

Amethyst continued attempting to stroke Jasper’s ginger tabby coat. “Well, isn’t that unfortunate.”

With a loud clack, the door opened and Lapis walked in. Her hair was a mess, and she was wearing some brown jacket that I had never seen before and was pretty sure didn’t belong to her. After not acknowledging my existence, she flopped onto her bed and started whining.

“Hey..... is she ok?” Amethyst whispered to me.

“I don’t know.....” I said, trying to pinpoint what exactly had made Lapis so upset.

I stood up and walked up to her. “Lazuli? Are you ok?”

Lapis groaned. “It’s Jasper.....”

“The cat?” I heard Amethyst say behind me, clearly confused.

Lapis groaned again. “No, she’s my stupid ex. Trying to get back with me. God.”

I stepped back, not knowing what to do. “Uh.... I don’t know what you should do.....”

“She’s just SO ANNOYING!” Lapis barked, scaring the cat and Amethyst alike, the latter which started walking towards the door. “Think I’m gonna let myself out.” 

“Bye, Ame!” I said, waving to her as she closed the door. 

After Amethyst left, Lapis stood up and marched to the bathroom. “I’m taking a shower.” She said. I stepped back to the point I fell onto my own bed, then flinched when Lapis slammed the bathroom door shut, probably waking up the neighbors. 

As soon as I heard the water start in the shower, I sighed and flopped onto my bed. 

I called Amethyst. 

“Hey.”

“Hey Dot.” She responded. “How’s Flapis?”

“Showering.” I said. “I have no idea what to do in this situation.......”

“Then I would suggest not doing anything. That usually works for me.”

I chuckled. “Yeah. It does.” 

“By the way, I love you.” I said before hanging up.


	17. Split second

It was when I heard the water turn off in the shower that I sat up. Lapis, especially when angry, terrified me.

She came in like a storm, paying no regard to our probably sleeping neighbors as she paced around the room, rambling on about Jasper. I couldn’t gather exactly what had happened the night before other than Jasper was involved, and something with a cow and 80s anime. 

“Slow down, Lapis....” I said. “I can’t understand you...”

Lapis, in response to my pleas, groaned and flopped over onto her bed. 

I nodded. “Yeah. Uh. Life can be like that sometimes. I’m going out.” I stood up.

“Get me some chocolate while you’re out....” Lapis whined from her bed. “You know the kind I like, right?”

“Yes, dark chocolate salted Carmel.” I sighed as a grabbed my bag and coat. Before closing the door, I turned to Lapis. She was still on her bed, whining about Jasper. I sighed and closed the door behind me.

The city wasn’t exactly dead, but it wasn’t alive either. The holidays were mostly over, and no one was out shopping. The streets were pretty much empty.

I got to the corner of Grey street and 20th, only a few blocks away from the teahouse, which probably wouldn’t be open due to it being the holidays and the shops owner’s just coming back from vacation in Canada. 

I sighed and waited for the sign on the other side of the sidewalk to change from a red hand to the figure of a green person walking across the street. It wasn’t snowing here, but the wind was strong and bitter. 

After five minutes (I timed it on my phone’s clock to be certain) of waiting for the light to change color, I determined the light was broken and decided to risk it by just walking across the street. 

Before I knew it, I was sitting on the concrete road, a car sitting seven inches from my face. 

My reflexes must’ve kicked in, because I hadn’t been hit at all. 

The door of the car opened, and a tall, muscular woman with the fluffiest platinum blonde hair I had ever seen walked out. She seemed familiar, but I had no idea where I knew her from.

“Oh god oh lord.” She said as she helped me to my feet. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine.” I said as I struggled to make eye contact with her. “I have quick reflexes.” 

“Cool. I’m Jasper, by the way.”

It was then it made sense. This was the Jasper. Lapis’ ex Jasper. The one that apparently ruined her life last night. “I’m Peridot.” I said, trying to keep a straight face. I didn’t want to let Jasper know I was her ex’s roommate, for some reason. Mostly because Jasper seemed like the type of person who would pick a fight for just about anything, and looked like the type of person who could knock me out with one hit. 

Jasper nodded. “Do you know where the closest grocery store is? I need to pick up something.....”

I looked up at Jasper and smiled. “Actually, I’m headed there right now! I too have things to get!” I sounded way haughtier than I had intended, but the point came across. 

“Cool.” Jasper said. “Can you show me? I’m new in town and lost.”

I nodded. “You can park your car over there.” I said, gesturing to the empty lot that was across the street. “It’s three dollars per hour after five and on Saturdays, but it’s neither Saturday nor after five so you’ll be fine.”

Jasper nodded, got back into her car, and drove into the lot, then parked. After locking her car, she came back over to where I was standing in the middle of the road. “Lead the way.” She said. 

I nodded and did so

Jasper and I walked through the city, not talking to each other at all, save for the occasional, ‘hey look a bird’

We passed a particular ominous looking alleyway, complete with a metal gate. The strangest part of it was the growths upon growths of long-dead roses that practically littered the place. Jasper took a long look at the alleyway, then scoffed. “This way, right?” She said, pointing ahead of her. 

I couldn’t tell exactly what had upset her so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all for some reason this was tough to write. It’s been a real long week.


	18. A Dying Wor(l)d

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird chapter title. Thinking about using it for a spin-off of this after Lav tea is done. Comment your ideas

Jasper and I got to the grocery store at about 10:40 AM- well, to call it a grocery store was a bit much. The establishment resembled more of a very excessive pharmacy/corner store, complete with a tiny fashion section (it mostly had nylon, floral-print sundresses). 

As we walked into the store, Jasper and walked separate ways. I noted that she went to the flower section and was inspecting a decaying bouquet of orchids. After grabbing a very standard looking bar of chocolate for Lapis, I walked over to Jasper.

I found myself standing in front of a bouquet of vibrant pink roses. “So. Flowers?” I asked, trying not to me too intrusive.

“Old friend.” Jasper responded. 

“Those orchids look pretty dead.” I remarked. “Maybe something a bit more alive, like these roses-“

“Anything but roses.” Jasper cut me off, speaking harshly. She spat out the word roses like it was a curse.

“O-ok.” I stuttered. “The dead orchids will do fine then.”

Jasper sighed. “So what’d you get?”

I looked at the chocolate bar in my hand. “Just some chocolate for my roommate. I was going to look for some cheap sci-fi novels though.....”

Jasper picked up the bouquet of orchids and walked past me. “The books are this way.” 

I struggled to keep up with Jasper’s quick pace as we walked to the other side of the store, but we eventually reached it- the dark, dusty corner that was the literature section. The majority of it was tabloid newspapers, erotica novels, and self-help books, but if you dig deep enough you could find a few good reads for around three dollars apiece. 

Since most of the store’s books were donated, almost every book I found had been published during the timeframe of 1978-2005. One book in particular- a light novel of around 200 pages- caught my eye. The cover was navy blue, and probably was once sleek and pristine, but its best days were over and the bottom corner of the cover was one tear away from being a separate piece of card-stock. In silvery, thin letters, the title read, ‘The Window to Apocalypse’ and at the bottom ‘PJ Morris’.

Jasper saw the book I was holding. “I hear that one’s good.”

“You read...” I flipped a couple pages in. “Theses on the end of humanity?”

Jasper shrugged. “Sometimes. It helps keep my mind grounded.”

“Huh.” I said as I flipped the book over. The price tag read ‘1.99’. 

“I’m getting this.” I said, then walked away from the dusty bookshelves. Jasper followed me, and we were soon traveling and equal pace. 

We passed a bright red display of hearts and sugar candy. 

“Tch. They’re already putting up valentine’s day decorations.... it’s still December.” Jasper scoffed, looking revolted at the setup.

“Yeah...” I commented. “This is a bit early...... I’m gonna check it out....”

“Why?!” Stammered Jasper.

Without turning to face her, I replied, “I’m gonna see if I can find anything cheesy for my girlfriend.”

I don’t know why I said it. I don’t know why it slipped out so easily. I had never called Amethyst ‘my girlfriend’ before, not even when it was the two of us alone. It hadn’t ever felt right before.... but now it did. After all the ‘I love you’s and ‘Please don’t leave me’s, it felt right to call her that. And it felt right to be able to buy a cheesy gift for her.

As I looked through the display of pink and red cards, I heard Jasper come up next to me. 

“So.... you’re not single?” She asked.

The question caught me off guard, and I momentarily stopped browsing cards. “Is that a problem?”

“No, no” Jasper hastily responded. “I’m just... kinda surprised.”

I grabbed a cheesy card with purple and red smiley face hearts and made my way to the checkout counter. 

Behind the counter was my friend Nephrite. She had shoulder-length, fluffy, white blonde hair, and one piercing green eye (the other was covered behind a black eyepatch, making her almost seem like a pirate). She had bronze skin and was taller than I could ever hope to be. 

“Hey Peri! I haven’t seen you in a while.” Nephrite said. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good.” I responded. “How’re you?”

“I’m good, same as always....” Nephrite picked up the card, and, after scanning it, said to me, “hey, did you get a romantic partner or something?”

“Yeah,” I said, taking the bag of all my purchased goods. “I did.”


	19. Stormy

After and Jasper and I left the shop, I noticed that it had started to rain. I pulled up my hoodie in an effort to protect my hair from the falling water. 

“Yeah, So I think I’m gonna go now.” Jasper spoke into the silence. “I’ve got places to be.”

“Yeah.” I responded, starting to walk off in my own direction. I still had to give Lapis her chocolate, then I had to get to work.

Without looking back, I heard Jasper say ‘Cool’ and walk off. I was alone.

The rain was cold as it hit my body, soaking through forest green hoodie. I kept my head down and walked briskly, my feet splashing through the quickly forming puddles. The few times I had to look up, whether it be to cross a street or check my location, the raindrops started to cover my glasses, making it hard to see. 

The water was freezing cold, as it was still winter. My hair, though protected by my hoodie, was soaked, almost to my scalp.

When I got to my apartment, I unlocked the door and tossed the chocolate bar at Lapis, who was still moping on her bed. Then I walked back out into the pouring rain.

As I dashed through the city, I noticed that there were more people than before. I didn’t feel as alone, but I still felt cold. The sight of the tea shop in the distance, I felt saved. 

As I burst into the tea shop, soaking wet, I was greeted by a round of concerned gasps and Pearl rushing over to me with a towel. 

“Really, Peridot?” She chided after giving me the towel. “You could’ve stayed home today. It’s practically a storm out there.” 

“I had to run some errands anyways.... I thought I’d come.”

“Well, we were thinking of closing up the shop for today, it’s going to get kind of nasty.” Sapphire said, coming over to where Pearl and I stood. 

“Oh....” I said, handing the towel back to Pearl. 

Pearl nodded and took the towel back. “Stay safe!”

As I walked back out into the rain, I pulled my hoodie over my head again. The streets were almost filled with people walking about the city. I didn’t want to interact with any of them, so I kept my head down.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Amethyst.

She was soaked in rain, her purple hair was bleeding on her face. Yet she looked as stunning as ever.

“Hey!” Amethyst said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been a while, I took a break for the holidays. Have a short, filler-ish chapter to get back in the groove of the story


	20. Running Through Rain

It was getting harder to see due to the water collecting on the frames of my glasses, but I was certain that it was her, and she was beautiful. 

“Hey, Amethyst.” I greeted. “What are you doing out here in the rain?”

Amethyst stepped closer to me. “Lapis texted me that you hadn’t come back.”

“But I did come back!” I stammered. “I gave her the chocolate she asked me for!” 

Amethyst shrugged and chuckled. “Well, I’m here now, so there’s not much you can do.”

“Yeah....” I replied, looking down at the rain covered ground. “What now?”

“Wellll.........” Amethyst trailed off, spinning around on her heel. “We could walk around the city. Like we used to.”

“I thought you were gonna say, ‘we should go home and get dry’.” I responded, slightly shocked. 

Amethyst laughed again. “Who do you take me for, Pearl?”

I nervously laughed alongside her. A million nervous thoughts raced through my mind- that I had said the wrong thing, that our relationship was going to end up like Jasper’s and Lapis’- broken and alone. All my worries seemed to melt away when Amethyst wrapped her hand around mine. 

“C’mon, I know a good popsicle place just a few blocks from here.” Amethyst said, dragging me in the opposite direction I had been planning on walking.

“Isn’t it still a little cold for popsicles?” I remarked as we made our way through the storm.

“It’s never too cold for popsicles, Peri!” Amethyst laughed as she started to run, pulling me along with her. I was tossed into a frenzy of emotions, all positive. The rain felt so good on my face, like it was washing away all my insecurities, all my doubts. Amethyst’s hand never left mine- a reminder that I wasn’t alone. 

I burst out into joyous laughter for what seemed the first time in years. 

Amethyst and I eventually reached the famed ‘popsicle place’- a one person-operated vending cart equipped with a blue and white umbrella- underneath which stood a vendor. Amethyst guided me under the umbrella and asked the vendor for two mango-lemonade popsicles, which in total costed 4.03. Upon receiving the frozen treats, Amethyst handed one to me and started eating her own. 

I started to eat my own popsicle, pleased in the way the tropical taste reminded me of summer. After a few more moments spent under the umbrella, Amethyst once again dragged me out into the rain. 

We walked until our feet were sore and found ourselves on the very bridge Amethyst has shown to me on the first date we went on together. The scenery before ya was familiar yet completely different.

“Hey Amethyst?” I whispered- I didn’t need to say it any louder because we were standing so close to each other.

“Yeah?” She responded.

“I bought you a card, but it’s probably ruined now.”

Amethyst laughed. “That’s an oof. Sorry.”

I laughed along, then paused. “Hey Amethyst?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hey guys, it’s been a while. Change Your Mind Aires. Have this m, it’s kinda short but it’s almost 1 am here


	21. Green and Gold

It was dusk when I finally got home. The rain was still pouring down on me when I reached my doorstep. The taste of pinneapples and Amethyst's lip gloss was still in my mouth (we had shared a tender kiss in the rain before parting ways).

When I walked into my tiny apartment, I was greeted with a dark, messy, cave-like world. Lapis was laying on her bed, her eyes glued to her phone, which was emitting the soft buzz of a tubetube video despite her use of cheap earbuds. The lightswitch made a slight crack as the lights turned on when I flipped the switch on the wall, revealing the full extent of the messy state the apartment was in. Lapis hissed at the lights and at me, then shoved her face into her pillow and groaned."Lapis, you can't keep doing these things!" I told her. "It's not healthy, and you almost missed work today!"

Lapis made a sound somewhere inbetween a screech and groan and turned her back to me, so I flopped over onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. After kicking off my shoes, I sighed. My white, wet tshirt clung to my body in one of the most uncomfortable ways. After a few moments of near dead silence, I sat up again. "I'm going to go get a shower." I informed Lapis on my way to the bathroom, accompained by a pair of dry sweatpants and a tshirt. Lapis didn't respond.

It took a while for the water in the shower to get to any temperature other than freezing, so for a few moments I stood there, waiting for the water to to warm up to a suitable temperature. After minuets spent thinking about life, I checked the water again. It was almost scalding now, so I accepted that as an acceptable temperature and stepped into the shower. At first the water hurt my skin, but my body soon grew accustomed to the heat. After running shampoo through my hair, I stoodin the shower for a few more minuets, letting the hot water beat my back as I thought of Amethyst- her warm hands on mine, her laughing smile, her piercing blue-violet eyes. All of it so beutiful, and the thought that she thought of me in the same way- it was amazing.

I shut off the water and got dressed.

When I walked back into the main room of the apartment, it was still a mess, not that I had expected Lapis to clean the entire place up while I showered. I made my way through the rubble and sat on my bed. Lapis was still laying on her bed, not paying any attention to me. I sighed and layed on my bed, looking up at the rafters. My phone buzzed on my bedside table. I ignored it. After the buzz repeated itself three more times, I picked it up. It was Amethyst, texting me. I opened the message.

'Do you ever feel so bad you think it won't ever get better?' was the message she sent me.

I glanced at Lapis, then up at the ceiling, then responded. 'yeah'.

'Do you think I'm nothing?'

'no, I think you're everything'.

'are you sure?'

'yeah'

Amethyst took a while to respond to my last text, as if she were deciding exactly what to write. When she finally did responded, the message read 'even I think I'm nothing'

'you're not nothing. you're my everything' I responded. 'before I met you, I was nothinng'

'Thank you' was her response, followed by 'I love you' and 'goodnight'


	22. Of Every Star

Weeks flew by, the weeks turning into a blur of months as the icy slush and bitter gusts of wind turned into cool drizzles and warm spring breezes. Amethyst and continued our tradition of long walks through the city, but also started going on a wider variety of dates, such as to a movie or a semi-fancy dinner.

It was a mildly cool, early April night we found ourselves on, leaving an almost empty theater. We had just seen the cinema’s screening of ‘Every Star Within You’. 

“So, how did you like the film?” I asked Ametyst. 

“I thought it was great” she said, almost sighing. “I don’t usually go for the whole ‘romancy-fluffy love story’ type deal, but it was really good.

I smiled. Half of the reason I wanted to see the movie in the first place was because it reminded me that I wasn’t alone, and I wanted to share it with person I’m not alone with. It didn’t make much sense, but I was pleased with myself.

A warm gust of wind blew down the street, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. Amethyst stepped back to stand next to me. She kissed me on the cheek. It was a small gesture, but it caught my attention. 

After the kiss, I wrapped my hand around Amethyst’s. “It’s late…” I started, but cut myself off, biting my tongue. I didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. 

“Hey.” Amethyst put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me to face her. “You’re not ditching me that easily.’

I smiled. “You wanna go to the beach?”

“Sure.” was her response, and so we started the long walk to the shore. 

It was about an hour and a half when we reached our destination. The sky was dark and the stars were out, reflecting on the pitch black sea. After taking off my shoes, I sat on the curb, intending to watch the ocean from afar, but Amethyst had other plans. She grabbed me by the hand and dragged my barefoot self out onto the sand.

The sand was cold and wet on my feet, grains of it sticking to me. I had never been to the beach at night, and was surprised at how cold the sand was. 

Amethyst led me to where the waves were coming up to. With a strong rush, a wave met us, nearly knocking the both of us off our feet. The water was warm and left everything smelling like salt. After a few more waves almost sweeping us off our feet, both Amethyst and I burst out in laughter. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, but I’m pretty sure it was because of the unexpected joy and serenity that came with dancing on the beach with the one you love. 

After standing in the water until my feet were numb, I went to sit on the beach. Amethyst joined me, and we looked over the vast ocean together. 

“I don’t think I want this to ever end…” I said, softly.

“Good.” Amethyst laughed. “I wasn’t planning on being dumped anytime soon.”

I chuckled, then leaned back look at the stars above us. Amethyst did the same. 

“Do you ever feel trapped here?” I asked.

“Yeah. sometimes. I’ve lived here almost all my life. Part of me wants to go see what there is out there… but I guess I’m stuck here for now.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Do you feel trapped here?”

“I guess I do.Or I did… I was a mess until I met you”

“So was I. I guess together we make a slightly less messy mess.”

I leaned on Amethyst a bit. “Yeah.”

“Peri?”

“Yeah?”

“I think you’re beautiful and I don’t want you to leave me.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while! but I'm back!


	23. All You Are

Time inevitably passed, moving at a snail’s pace yet so fast it left me behind. As the weather got warmer, Amethyst and I stopped hanging out together as much as we had, each of us with our respective finals nearing, which I was currently studying for on my bed. 

“Hey Dot.” Lapis called as she entered the room, slugging her bag onto her bed. 

“Someone’s in a mood.” I observed, briefly turning my attention away from my notes on the studies of Ada Lovelace. 

“Eh.” was Lapis’ response as she slumped onto her bed. “How’re those notes going?”

“Pretty good.” I responded, turning back to the said notes. “Reviewing and editing notes doesn’t take too much effort.”

“Mmh.” Lapis nodded in agreement.

“How are your studies going so far?” I asked. 

Lapis flopped over onto her back. “Uhhhhhggggggggggg……” she groaned. 

“I’ll take that as a ‘not good’.” I stated, turning back to my notes.

After a few moments of not speaking, Lapis spoke up again. “Hey Dot?”

“Yeah?” I answered, looking up from my google doc and online textbook. 

Lapis sighed. “It’s just…. You found love….”

“I guess I did.” I stammered, unsure of where Lapis was taking the conversation. 

Lapis stared blankly at the ceiling. “How’d that happen? I mean- I always thought you were gonna be the single one of us. No offense.”

“None taken.” I responded, halfway closing my laptop. “Lapis, are you sure you’re doing ok? Is it Jas-”

“No, no. I’m fine.” Lapis interrupted my string of questions. “I’m glad that Jasp and I aren’t together anymore… that was pretty effed up.”

I remained sitting awkwardly on my bed.

“I don’t think I’ll ever fully heal from that…” Lapis spoke into the open air with a melancholy tone to her voice. 

I moved my laptop out of my lap and set it on my bed, then walked across the room to sit next to Lapis. “I think you’re doing pretty good.” I said.

“You do?” Lapis said, her voice slightly muffled. 

“Yeah.” I whispered, trying to console her. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”

“There’s not much you could do about it.” Lapis said before sighing. 

“Well, I’m gonna get back to studying.” I announced as I moved back over to my bed. 

“Good idea.” was Lapis’s response.

After fifteen minutes and three pages of notes, my phone rang.

“What’s that?” Lapis asked from across the room. 

I picked up my phone. “It’s Pearl…”

“Well, you better answer it. It could be work related.”

I accepted the call and held the phone up to my ear. “Hey Pearl, what is it?”

Pearl’s voice came through from the other side. There was a lot if stress in her voice. “Peridot… I have bad news…”

“What is it?” I askes, cautiously. 

“Amethyst…” Pearl responded shakily. “She’s in the hospital.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know this is short but at least it's out on time (hush 11:24 is still technically sunday) It probably could've been a bit longer but I wanted to end on a cliffhanger.


	24. We're Not Home Yet

After receiving the distressing news from Pearl, I made the hasty decision to leave Lapis alone in the apartment and set off to see if Amethyst was ok. 

The streets of Beach City were crowded, as it was a mild, spring, saturday afternoon. I was shoved to the sides of the road and pushed to the ground multiple times in my struggle. Determination, along with the concern of Amethyst’s well being, coursed through my body, but it wasn’t enough, as I soon found myself sitting on the curbside, defeated. 

“Ugh….” I muttered to myself, holding my phone as I watched the pedestrians go by. “I don’t even know where the hospital is…”

A few more minutes passed, and I started to attract the gazes of passersby. I took out my phone again and texted Pearl for directions, then looked up at the sky. I was lost in the middle of the city, and my girlfriend was in the hospital for who knows what. It didn’t get much worse than that.

My phone buzzed under my hand, signaling that someone had texted me back. Upon checking the screen (which I could barely see due to the blistering sun), I discovered that it was Pearl, who had sent me the address of the hospital, which I proceeded to enter into my maps app. Then I ran.

For whatever reason, I don’t tend to run much. But this time, I did. I must’ve pushed at least 4 medium sized children out of my way, but I barely noticed. My mind was set on one thing- being able to see Amethyst, and being there for her. 

When I reached the hospital, I burst into the lobby, probably frightening the secretary, as his first words to me were, “What do you want? What are you doing here?!”

I took a few moments to catch my breath, then told the secretary my situation, and that I was here to see Amethyst. He immediately directed me to the level 4 waiting room.

The waiting room was mostly empty, aside from a couple plastic and corduroy chairs, a coffee table decorated by a plastic plant and a couple early 2000s magazines, and Pearl, who was sitting on a seat, hunched over. I sat next her. 

“Good, you’re here.” Pearl whispered upon noticing my arrival.

“What happened?” I asked in a hushed tone.

“We found her beat up in alleyway- the police think it was some sort of gang violence thing or something.”

I put my hand over my mouth in both shock and fear. “Do her sisters know?”

“Yes, we called them right before we called you. They’re on their way.”

At that moment, a doctor-looking woman with striking white hair entered the room from a different door than the one I came through. “I’m Dr. Bleu. You must be Peridot and Pearl.”

Pearl nodded as I responded with, “Yes that’s me.”

Dr. Bleu nodded. “Good, and Peridot, you’re Amethyst’s girlfriend, correct?”

I nodded. “That’s right. I am.” 

Dr. Bleu nodded again and wrote something down on a notepad. “Unfortunately, I can’t allow you to visit her yet. We only allow family and spouses to visit this soon.”

I stood up. “Please- I need to-”

Dr. Bleu cut me off with the sight raising of her hand. “I’m sorry, you’ll be able to visit her in 3 days.”

Pearl stood up and touched me on the shoulder. “We should get going home.”

I stood there for a second, then followed Pearl’s lead. “Thank you.” I said to Dr. Bleu as I left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shhhhhh 11:36 is still technically Sunday night  
> anyways this is a bit short and the writing is really bad at the start but enjoy  
> (and yes Dr. Bleu is Blue Diamond)


	25. In Your Arms

It took half a week before I was finally permitted to visit Amethyst in the hospital, and the moment I heard I would be able to see her, I set off for the hospital (It wasn’t like I was doing much that saturday afternoon anyways- I had been discussing Star Wars theories with Lapis).

When I reached the hospital, I was immediately directed to level four, room 33, where I encountered Amethyst, sitting upright on her bed, drawing. 

“Hey.” I said, breaking the blissful yet tense silence. ‘

I must’ve caught Amethyst off-guard, because she dropped her pencil onto the ground at my greeting. “Oh, Hi Peri.” She responded.

I walked over to Amethyst’s bed and picked up the pencil, handing it back to Amethyst. Then, I sat down on the stiff guest chair set out next to the bed. “I’m so glad to see you again….” I said, almost whispering.

“Hey, don’t be so gloomy. I’m fine.” Amethyst consoled. 

I shivered (the hospital was quite cold). “You sure? How much longer are you gonna be here?”

“I don’t exactly know…” Amethyst said, turning away from me to gaze out the window at the city, currently toned in shades of gray due to the overcast nature of the day. I noticed that Amethyst’s hand went to her stomach, where I assume she had been injured. 

“Well….” I said, trying to break the awkward and depressive silence. “Wanna hear what’s new with everyone?”

“Sure” Amethyst responded, her voice as monotonous and dull as the sound of the air conditioning system that was currently freezing the back of my neck. 

“Well…” I started. “Lapis is still Lapis. She’s still set on believing that Darth Vader was a cooler bad guy than Darth Maul, but what’re you gonna do, right?” I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, then stopped the moment I realized Amethyst wasn’t laughing with me.

“Steven and Connie are almost done with fifth grade… they’ll be starting middle school next september.”

“Cool.” Amethyst responded, not showing any emotion in her voice. 

“Hey, are you ok?” I asked, breaking from my recollection of what everyone had been doing recently. 

Amethyst sighed. “I- I don’t know… I’m sorry I’m so vulnerable that-”

I cut her off. “Nonono, it’s not your fault you got hurt, it could’ve happened to any of us. Please don’t be so harsh on yourself, it scares me.”

Amethyst kept looking out the window. “It’s all my fault and if I had been just a bit stronger I wouldn’t be in this situation and you wouldn’t have to be here for me and I could be there for you!”

I stood up and walked over to the other side of Amethyst’s bed, so I could face her. “I don’t need you to be there for me all the time! Let me be here for you!”

At this point I had made eye contact with Amethyst. “I love you, Amethyst, and I love you for you. I don’t want you to be someone else, and I want you to be happy!”

Amethyst stared at me for a a few moments, probably in shock. “I love you too. Please don’t leave me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kinda short, at least its out 2 hours early :)  
> Had fun writing this, as always comments and kudos are greatly appreciated


	26. Numb

Even though the doctors told me it would only be a few weeks til Amethyst was out of the hospital, one and half months with no word of Amethyst. I had gone to see her every day after work, until Dr. Blue informed me that they were moving Amethyst to a different location in the hospital and I wouldn’t be able to visit her anymore. That happened two weeks ago, and was the last I heard of her. 

I stared up at my apartment ceiling in all its plastery gray-beige. I had missed both my classes and work for the last two days. Part of me urged me to get up and at least contact Pearl and tell her what was going on, but I didn’t have the energy to get up and grab my phone. 

The sound of the door opening broke the silence of the apartment as Lapis walked in, burdened with grocery bags filled mostly with instant ramen and paper towels. Lapis must’ve noticed my distressed state, because she immediately dropped the ramen and came to sit next to my bed. 

“I thought I was supposed to be the depressed one…” Lapis chuckled a bit at her own joke, then stopped. “Hey, you doing alright?”

“No…” I weakly replied. 

“Any news on Amethyst?” Lapis said, quietly. 

“No, not since a couple weeks ago.”

“Mmh.” Lapis replied. “Sorry to hear that.”

“What if she isn’t ok?” I said, my voice cracking. 

“Wh- No!” Lapis sputtered. “She’s gonna be alright! You’re just…” she trailed off.

“They said she was supposed to be out six weeks ago.”

“She’s just taking a bit longer to heal! Don’t give up hope so easily! Don’t make the same mistakes I-” Lapis cut herself off. 

“Look.” Lapis said, standing up and facing me. “You look like you haven’t eaten in a week. You probably haven’t, actually.”

“I had half an apple last night…” I said weakly. 

Lapis pulled me to a sitting up posture. “We need to get you back to a healthy state. It’s a good thing I bought all this ramen….” Lapis took out one of the cups of instant noodles. “Say, how mad do you think the landlord would be if I cooked these in here?”

I shrugged. 

“Thought so.” Lapis said, agreeing to a statement I never made. “Welp I’m going to heat up some water for these.”

Fifteen minutes later, I was greeted with a steaming hot bowl of noodles drowned in high sodium chicken broth. 

“Eat up.” Lapis instructed. I did so. 

“Taste good?” Lapis asked.

I nodded. 

“Mmh.” Lapis said. “Hey, don’t give up on Amethyst, k? I don’t like to see you being as sad as you are.”

“I won’t.” I replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit short, I've had a long day
> 
> we're nearing the end of the fic


	27. Bloom

The weeks went by, stretching into a blur of months as I continued to here nothing about Amethyst’s recover, save for bits and pieces of second-hand information given to me by Amethyst’s many siblings. 

I still struggled with staying hopeful in these hopeless times, but the sheer amount of time forced me to try and resume life as normally as I could.

It was another slow day at the cafe, where Lapis and I were working. Much like the day I first met Amethyst, Lapis was sweeping the floor, singing a soft song, something about far-off beaches or something. My mind was in a far-off state, it was almost like I was in a trance. I found myself drifting off more and more as time went on. 

Steven and Connie were working at the farthest table from the counter, where I was. I could tell that they were talking, but their conversation was inaudible to me. 

At some point, Lapis set her broom on the ground and walked over to the window. With a shutter and a click, the window was opened, and a cool spring breeze filled the entire cafe. 

I sighed, then walked out from my station to grab a chair from one of the empty tables dotting the cafe. On my journey back to behind the counter (accompanied by my chair), I was greeted by Lapis. 

“You doing alright?” she said, a false cheerfulness to her voice. 

“I’m fine.” I responded as I pulled the chair up to the counter and sat in it. “Just thinking about stuff.”

Lapis nodded in approval, then resumed her sweeping. I slumped over onto the counter, resting my head in my arms. All the emotion I was feeling was starting to take a toll on my health, as I was getting considerably less sleep in the last few months. I let myself drift into a light sleep. 

After twenty minutes of sleep, I was woken by the sensation of someone touching my hand. 

“Hey.” whispered a sweet, familiar voice. 

I bolted upright. “Amethyst!”

It was, in fact Amethyst, just as beautiful as the day I met her.

I clumsily stood up and walked over to Amethyst, then immediately hugged her. “I’m so glad- you’re really- you’re back!”

Amethyst returned the hug. “Yep. I’m back. What has it been, three months?”

“I’m so glad you’re back- I” All the joy and love I felt was making it hard to speak. 

Amethyst smiled. “I love you. And I’m so, so glad to see you again.”

I blushed. “Y-yeah. I don’t think I can follow that with anything more poetic, but I love you too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda short but I've got an epilogue planned for tomorrow. I'll save the sappy ending stuff for then   
> :)


	28. My Heart in Your Hands- Epilogue

-Three Years Later-

I sighed, having just sent in the final project for my course on web design. With a smile, I closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair, looking up at the public library ceiling. 

My phone, which was resting on the table, buzzed. I picked it up and read the text Amethyst had sent me. ‘Hey’ was the message she had given me.

I tilted my head down so I was no longer looking at the ceiling, and I saw her. Breathtaking as always, Amethyst was holding a bouquet of lavender and hydrangeas. 

Amethyst handed me the flowers. “Here, I got these for you.”

I took the bouquet and blushed. “Is there some anniversary I forgot?”

Amethyst shook her head. “Nah, I just wanted to get you something.”

I set the flowers on the table and embraced Amethyst. “Thank you.”

Amethyst hugged me back. “I love you so, so much.”

I felt myself smile. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's the end of Lavender Tea!
> 
> Stars, this story means a lot to me. Over the past 7-so months, I've tried my best to tell a simple, soft love story, which is the complete opposite of pretty much anything I've written before (longtime fans of mine will know that before writing this, I was writing a fast-paced sci-fi action drama series)
> 
> In many ways, this story has shaped the way I write and how I see things. It definitely shaped my music taste (I listen to way more soft indie music now. More than I already did)
> 
> I'd like to close this book by thanking all my wonderful readers. Seriously, I wouldn't have completed this book if it weren't for your continued support. Even those of you who don't comment or leave kudos, I still love you (though I don't know you). It really brings me a lot of joy to see that you guys love my work.
> 
> I don't know what exactly I'll write next, we'll have to see where my mind goes
> 
> and with that, space is out.

**Author's Note:**

> HEYYOS. Thanks for reading this. Had fun writing it.   
> If you wanna see more of my writing, feel free to comment!  
> Please check out my art on tumblr. I’m @spaceblog35 on tumblr.  
> (Shameless self promo)


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